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City news in 250 words: Monday 14 March

Library cuts, police dog bites and prizes for recycling

Published on March 14th 2011.

MANCHESTER LIBRARY BUDGET CUTS: Manchester City Council aims to save £109m this year by making savings in services such as libraries. Councillor Mike Amesbury said: "We don’t want to close any library, cut any service or reduce any opening hours, but we have no choice but to consider these options.” A series of public meetings will be held to discuss the proposals. The first will be on Tuesday 15 March at City Library, Elliot House, 151 Deansgate, from 6.30pm.

PRIZES FOR RECYCLING: City centre residents are being offered prizes in exchange for promising to recycle more. Anyone who lives in the city centre is being invited to enter the free prize draw by pledging to recycle more. Prizes include a pair of season tickets for the Warehouse Project club nights worth a total of £1,500. Anyone who wants to sign the pledge just needs to click here.

ST PATRICK’S DAY PARADE: More than 100,000 people attended Manchester's 21st St Patrick's Day Parade. England's biggest Irish parade started from the Irish World Heritage Centre in Cheetham Hill and ended at Albert Square. There was a special one minute's silence in memory of those who have lost their lives in the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

POLICE DOG BITES COST FORCE THOUSANDS: Compensation costs to people bitten by police dogs across the UK in the past three years, totalled £770,000. According to information obtained by Radio 4, Greater Manchester Police paid the most compensation of any force, a total of more than £180,000.